The administration’s issuance of rules essentially banning the service of patriotic Transgender American volunteers, in violation of federal court rulings, flies in the face of American values and world leadership. Transgender American Veterans Association and American Veterans for Equal Rights believe President Harry Truman’s Executive Order integrating our armed forces in 1948, was key to defense of America while providing the world an example of equality and democracy. Since then, women have been integrated and fully equalized in our military, and under President Obama American LGB patriots could serve openly and proudly with distinction and honor.

The new discriminatory transphobic policy introduced by the President reverses our nation’s progress on equality and weakens the abilities and readiness of our armed forces.
While totalitarian nations have always segregated their military forces by tribe, religion, and ethnicity, America’s armed forces have been a light to the world simply by virtue of our example of unified force of uniformed Americans working cohesively regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and sexual identity.

TAVA and AVER jointly reject and condemn the Administration’s reversal of American progress and leadership on equality, and the consequent weakening of the readiness and ability of our armed forces.

Evan Young, President of TAVA, stated, “Transgender service members have and do proudly serve in our Armed Forces the inception of our militaries. We deploy to remote regions of the world and faithfully serve our nations interest with honor. The administration’s attack on our military is an attack on all American’s values. Standing together, we can fight this bigotry.”

Steve Loomis, President of AVER, stated, “I have had the privilege to serve with transgender service members who were among my very best soldiers. Some of them I knew of their gender identity at the time, others I did not know until much later. They make our military better.”